To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don't worry
about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest.
Author Unknown

Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.
Erasmus

You can gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really
stop to look fear in the face... You must do the thing which you think you cannot
do.
Eleanor Roosevelt

There is a first faith and a second faith. The first faith is the easy, traditional
belief of childhood, taken from other people, believed because it belonged to the time and
land. The second faith is the personal conviction of the soul. ...It is the heart knowing,
because God has spoken to it, the things of God.... It, and it alone, is the belief which
brings salvation."
Phillips Brooks

Happy is a the man, indeed, who can receive this soul-satisfying testimony, and be at
rest, and seek for no other road to peace than by the doctrines of Jesus Christ. His
gospel teaches us to love our fellowmen, to do to others as we would have others do to us,
to be just, to be merciful, to be forgiving and to perform every good act calculated to
enlarge the soul of man. His perfected philosophy teaches also enemies and for those who
despitefully use us. There are no other gospels or systems of philosophy that bear these
marks of divinity and immortality. You may hunt the philosophies of the world in vain for
any code of ethics that insures the peace and rest that may be found in His comprehensive,
yet simple, gospel.
President Joseph F. Smith

There is a grand fearlessness in faith. He who in his heart of hearts reverences the
good, the true, the holy -- that is, reverences God -- does not tremble at the apparent
success of attacks upon the outworks of faith. They may shake those who rest on those
outworks -- they do not move him whose soul reposes on the truth itself. He needs no prop
or crutches to support his faith. Founded on a Rock, Faith can afford to gaze undismayed
at the approaches of infidelity.
Frederick W. Robertson

Faith is the power behind good works. The exercising of faith is a willingness to
accept without total regular proof and to move forward and perform works. "Faith
without works is dead" (James 2:26), and a dead faith will not lead one to move
forward to adjust a life or to serve valiantly. A real faith pushes one forward to
constructive and beneficial acts as though he knew in absoluteness. The Prophet Alma gave
the near perfect address on faith in the thirty-second chapter of Alma. He gives us:
"Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye
hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
(Alma 32:21.)

The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
Adam Fendelman

"Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right."
Henry Ford (1863-1947)

Faith is the power behind good works. The exercising of faith is a willingness to
accept without total regular proof and to move forward and perform works. "Faith
without works is dead" (James 2:26), and a dead faith will not lead one to move
forward to adjust a life or to serve valiantly. A real faith pushes one forward to
constructive and beneficial acts as though he knew in absoluteness. The Prophet Alma gave
the near perfect address on faith in the thirty-second chapter of Alma. He gives us:
"Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye
hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
(Alma 32:21.)

"I believe in Christ like I believe in the sun at noonday--not
because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else."
C.S. Lewis

His gospel is the perfect prescription for all human problems and social ills. But His
gospel is effective only as it is applied in our lives. Therefore, we must "feast
upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell [us] all things that
[we] should do" (2 Nephi 32:3). Unless we do His teachings, we do not demonstrate
faith in Him.
(Ezra Taft Benson, Come unto Christ, p. 132.)

When faith lays hold of a man, it pervades all of life--all aspects of life, all
functions, all activities, all that we say or even think.
(Ezra Tat Benson, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington
D.C., 13 February 1959.)

Without faith in our Heavenly Father, we cannot be successful. Faith gives us vision of
what may happen, hope for the future, and optimism in our present tasks. Where faith is,
we do not doubt the ultimate success of the work.
Ezra Taft Benson

We will all have disappointments and discouragements--that is part of life. But if we
will have faith, our setbacks will be but a moment and success will come out of our
seeming failures. Our Heavenly Father can accomplish miracles through each of us if we
will but place our confidence and trust in Him. I have witnessed this on many occasions.
(Ezra Taft Benson, "Four Keys for Success,"
Churubusco Mexico Stake, 5 June 1982.)

Abraham wanted to find a wife for his son Isaac who would help him remain faithful and
would teach their children to be faithful. This was extremely important so that the
Priesthood would remain with Abraham's descendants. It was typical in those days for
parents to choose mates for their children so Abraham called his oldest servant and asked
him to search for a wife for Isaac. His servant asked "What if the woman chosen will
not follow me back to this land? Should I not take Isaac with me, so the woman and her
family can approve of him?" Abraham answered, "The Lord shall send his angel
before thee, and he will help thee find a wife for Isaac."

After reaching the city of Mesopotamia, Abraham's servant prayed for guidance. A young
women approached that was not only beautiful but also virtuous and lovely. She loved the
Lord and tried to keep his commandments and because of this she was greatly blessed.

Abraham's servant, after going to her home, told them that he had been led by the Lord
to find the wife for Isaac and that the Lord had chosen Rebekah. As was custom, he asked
her father and brother for permission to take her away to Canaan to be Isaac's wife. They
recognized the Lord's hand and gave their permission.

The next morning as the servant made arrangements to return to Canaan, Rebekah's mother
and brother asked that she be allowed to stay ten days. The servant found it urgent that
he return that day and asked Rebekah if she was willing to go with him. She knew that she
would be leaving a family that she loved and going to a foreign land to marry a man she
had never met. Because of her great faith, Rebekah knew that God would bless her and so
she packed her things and started the journey toward her new life. (Genesis 24)

Can you imagine how much faith Rebekah had to leave everything that she knew and was
familiar to start a new life with a husband that she had never met. She knew that by
leaving her family and city that she would probably never see them again because of the
great distance and difficult transportation. Imagine for a moment that you are leaving
everything that is familiar to trust in God's decision of who you are going to marry. You
are being brought into a home and family that you need to fit in which may include
different customs. This decision can only be made with the aid of the peaceful feeling we
receive from following God's plan and the surety of knowing what is right. It mentioned
early in the story that Rebekah loved the Lord and tried to keep all of his commandments
and because of this she was blessed. This doesn't mean that our lives are always easy or
without trial but it does mean that we will have the security of knowing that we are doing
the right thing and along with this security comes a peace so strong that you will never
have to doubt your decision.

The Faith of Gideon's Army

After being part of the great miracle of Jericho where God caused the walls to topple
over allowing the Isrealites access into the city, these same armies were gradually
weakened because of disobedience. As a result, the Israelites lived in fear and poverty
because of the continual attacks and destruction of the Midianite army. These attacks left
the Israelites with no food and safety to the point that they had to leave their homes and
hide in mountain caves in order to save their lives. After seven years, the Israelites
began to repent and ask for God's help again.

Among the Israelites was a man named Gideon who was very righteous. One day while
threshing wheat for his family, an angel of the Lord appear to him. After some discussion,
the angle told him, "Go in thy strength, and thou shalt save Israel from the
Midianites." The Israelites soon received word that a huge Midianite army was
preparing to attack them. As Gideon rallied the men willing to fight around him, he
noticed that almost thirty-two thousand came but Gideon was worried because he knew that
their enemy had 134,000 soldiers. The Lord surprised Gideon by saying, "The people
that are with thee are too many. If Israel wins with so many men, they will boast of their
own power, saying =91Mine own hand hath saved me.'" Following God's instructions,
Gideon went to the men and announced, "Whosoever is fearful and afraid, return
home." Twenty-two thousand men packed up their things and left. This left only ten
thousand men remaining to fight the battle.

Soon the Lord spoke again to Gideon saying, "The people are yet too many; bring
them down unto the water." Gideon brought them to the water and the Lord said,
"Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps and those who
kneel down to drink." Gideon noticed that only three hundred men drank water by
bringing it up to their mouths with their hand and asked the remaining to leave. The Lord
proclaimed, "By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you and deliver the
Midianites into thine hand." Now the odds were 300 Israelites to battle against
135,000 Midianites.

During the night, Gideon and his servant Phurah went to the enemy's camp and overheard
a man telling his friend about a dream: "Behold, I dreamed and, lo, a cake of barley
bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and it came unto a tent and struck it, and the tent
fell and overturned, and the tent lay upon the ground." The friend then interpreted
the dream saying, "This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a
man of Israel, for God is giving him a victory over Midian." After hearing this
Gideon thanked God and returned to his 300 men and said "Arise, for the Lord hath
delivered into our hands the Midianites." He organized the 300 men into three groups
and gave each man a trumpet and a pitcher with a torch inside.

While it was dark, Gideon and his men surrounded the Midiante camp, blew their
trumpets, broke the pitcher so that the torch could be seen, and then shouted, "The
sword of the Lord, and of Gideon." The Midianites woke from their sleep in a panic.
They groped through the darkness, not knowing who were their friends or enemies, and began
to fight among themselves and fled leaving Gideon's army the victors. (Judges 6-8)

Emphasize the point that God doesn't want us taking credit for miracles that he
performs. Remind the girls that God kept reducing the size of the army because he foretold
that, "If Israel wins with so many men, they will boast of their own power, saying,
Mine own hand hath saved me.'" Try to imagine how much faith it took for those 300
men to go into battle knowing that their enemies numbered 135,000. Likewise, it must have
taken a lot of strength for the others to leave knowing that they were leaving their fate
and the fate of their families in the hands of a handful of men. They couldn't have
possibly decided to leave unless they had a unfaltering faith that God was there and would
be able to protect their city from the Midianites. No man could ever defeat an enemy of
that size unless God was with him. We need to not only have faith to act and to fight
God's battles but also have faith to walk away when the Holy Ghost whispers to us in his
soft voice. We need to be in tune enough to know that when God tells us something that it
is important and then have the faith to know that with God all things are possible.

Other Stories:

Faith In Every Footstep

Mary Fielding Smith, widow of Hyrum Smith is a great
example of faith with many footsteps to accomplish what needed to be
done. To me her story of
getting to Salt Lake Valley is inspiring and an
example of the kind of hope and faith every mother should have knowing that God will help
us through. Here is just a small part of her story:

At the death of the patriarch [Hyrum Smith] the care of
the family fell upon his widow, Mary [Fielding] Smith. Besides the children there were
several helpless and inform people, whom for various charitable reasons the patriarch had
maintained; and these also she cared for, and brought through to the valley the major part
of them, under unusually trying circumstances.

Passing over the incidents of her journey to winter
quarters, after the expulsion from Nauvoo, we come at once to her heroic effort from
winter quarters westward. In the spring of 1848 a tremendous effort was made by the saints
to emigrate to the valley on a grand scale. No one was more anxious than Widow Smith; but
to accomplish it seemed an impossibility, for although a portion of her household had
emigrated in 1847, she still had a large and comparatively helpless family -- her sons
John and Joseph, mere boys, being her only support. Without teams sufficient to draw the
number of wagons necessary to haul provisions and outfit for the family, and without means
to purchase, or friends who were in circumstances to assist, she determined to make the
attempt, and trust in the Lord for the issue. Accordingly every nerve was strained, and
every available object was brought into requisition. Cows and calves were yoked up, two
wagons lashed together, and a team barely sufficient to draw one was hitched on to them,
and in this manner they rolled out from winter quarters some time in May. After a series
of the most amusing and trying circumstances, such as sticking in the mud, doubling teams
up all the little hills, and crashing at ungovernable speed down the opposite sides,
breaking wagon tongues and reaches, upsetting, and vainly endeavoring to control wild
steers, heifers and unbroken cows, they finally succeeded in reaching the Elk Horn, where
the companies were being organized for the plains.

Here Widow Smith reported herself to President Kimball
as having "started for the valley." Meantime, she had left no stone unturned or
problem untried, which promised assistance in effecting the necessary preparations for the
journey. She had done her utmost, and still the way looked dark and impossible.

President Kimball consigned her to Captain ------'s
fifty. The captain was present. Said he:

"Widow Smith, how many wagons have you?"

"Seven."

"How many yoke of oxen have you?"

"Four," and so many cows and calves.

"Well," said the captain, "it is folly
for you to start in this manner; you never can make the journey, and if you try it you
will be a burden upon the company the whole way. My advice to you is, to go back to winter
quarters and wait till you can get help."

"Widow Smith calmly replied, "Father
------" (he was an aged man), "I will beat you to the valley, and will ask no
help from you either!"

This seemed to nettle the old gentleman, and it
doubtless influenced his conduct towards her during the journey.

While lying at Elk Horn she sent back and succeeded in
buying on credit, and hiring for the journey, several yoke of oxen from brethren who were
not able to emigrate that year, and when the companies were ready to start she and her
family were somewhat better prepared for the journey, and rolled out with lighter hearts
and better prospects than favored their egress from winter quarters.

As they journeyed on the captain lost no opportunity to
vent his spleen on the widow and her family; but she prayerfully maintained her integrity
of purpose, and pushed vigorously on, despite several discouraging circumstances.

[During this journey, the famous incident of raising one
of her oxen from apparent death by a priesthood blessing took place - see CH Story 49.]

On the 22d of September the company crossed over
"Big Mountain," when they had the first glimpse of Salt Lake Valley. Every heart
rejoiced, and with lingering fondness they gazed upon the goal of their wearisome journey.
The descent of the western side of "Big Mountain" was precipitous and abrupt,
and they were obliged to rough-lock the hind wheels of the wagons, and, as they were not
needed, the forward cattle were turned loose to be driven to camp, the
"wheelers" only being retained on the wagons. Desirous of shortening the next
day's journey as much as possible, they drove on till a late hour in the night, and
finally camped near the eastern foot of the "Little Mountain." During the
night's drive several of Widow Smith's cows, that had been turned loose from the teams,
were lost in the brush. Early the next morning her son John returned to hunt for them,
their service in the teams being necessary to proceed.

At an earlier hour than usual the captain gave orders
for the company to start, knowing well the circumstances of the widow, and that she would
be obliged to remain until John returned with the lost cattle. Accordingly the company
rolled out, leaving her and her family alone. Hours passed by ere John returned with the
lost cattle, and the company could be seen toiling along far up the mountain. And to human
ken it seemed probable that the widow's prediction would ingloriously fail. But as the
company were nearing the summit of the mountain a cloud burst over their heads, sending
down the rain in torrents, and throwing them into utter confusion. The cattle refused to
pull, and to save the wagons from crashing down the mountain side, they were obliged to
unhitch, and block the wheels. While the teamsters sought shelter, the storm drove the
cattle in every direction, so that when it subsided it was a day's work to find them and
get them together. Meantime, as noted, John had returned with the stray cattle, and they
were hitched up, and the widow and family rolled up the mountain, passing the company and
continuing on to the valley, where she arrived fully twenty hours in advance of the
captain. And thus was her prophesy fulfilled.

She kept her husband's family together after her arrival
in the valley, and her prosperity was unparalleled. At her death, which occurred September
21st, 1852, she left them comfortably provided for, and in possession of every educational
endowment that the facilities of the times would permit.

On October 6-8, 1845, a general conference of the Church was held in Nauvoo. Elder Heber
C. Kimball addressed the assembly on the second day: "I am glad he time of our Exodus
is come; I have looked for it for years. It is necessary for us to be faithful and humble,
and if we listen to counsel we shall prosper. And although we leave all our fine
houses and farms here, how long do you think it will be before we shall be better off than
we are now? ... There may be individuals who will look at their pretty houses and gardens
and say, 'it is hard to leave them' ... I will prophecy in the name of Heber C. Kimball,
that in five years, we will be as well again off as we are now." (See Times and
Seasons, 6:1011-1012)

The Saints followed, and settled in the Great Salt Lake Valley. Heber's prophecy
must have seemed far off for them as they struggled with the bleak conditions -
"during a season of famine, when the half-starved, half-clad settlers, isolated from
the civilized world, 'a thousand miles from anywhere,' were living on rations, eked out
with wild roots dug from the earth or obtained from the Indians, scarcely knowing where to
look for the next crust of bread or for rags to hide their nakedness." (Orson F.
Whitney, History of Utah, 4:20)

Then Heber added to the prophecy he had spoken in Nauvoo: "When hard
times pressed the Saints in Salt Lake City, and a thousand miles separated them from
commercial points, President Kimball stood up in
the Tabernacle and prophesied that in less than six months clothing and other goods would
be sold in the streets of Great Salt Lake City cheaper than they could be bought in New
York. This astonished the people.

One of his brethren said to him after meeting that he did not believe it.
'Neither did I,' said Brother Kimball, 'but I said it. It will have to go.' No one
saw the possibility of its verification." (See Jenson, _LDS
Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:37) "'I don't believe a word of it,' said Charles C.
Rich, voicing no doubt the opinion of nine-tenths of the congregation. 'Well, I
don't believe it either,' said the Prophet Heber, with a characteristic smile, after he
had sat down; 'I am afraid I have missed it this time.'" (Whitney, 4:20)

"As soon as he had uttered it he, he felt scared almost out of his wits to think that
he had predicted such an unlikely thing as that. Brother George A. Smith who was
sitting right by him spoke to him and said, 'There, Brother you have bat [busted] your
boiler this time sure.' This was in the spring of at a meeting held in the old
fort. But he had not, although he thought he had..." (George Morris
Autobiography, typescript, BYU-S, p. 62)

But Heber's words were indeed fulfilled. In 1849, with the discovery of gold in
California, a great excitement caught up the country. "Gold Fever", they
called it, and soon the wagon trains carrying eager miners were following the pioneer
trails and streaming through Salt Lake City. "In order to lighten their loads and
expedite progress to the gold fields, they sold at enormous sacrifice the valuable
merchandise with which they had stored their wagons to cross the plains. Their
choice, blooded, but now jaded stock they eagerly exchanged for the fresh mules and horses
of the Pioneers, and bartered off dry goods, groceries, provisions, clothing, tools, etc.,
for the most primitive outfits, with barely enough provisions
to enable them to reach their journey's end." (Whitney, 4:20)

George Morris recorded how the gold-rushers were so eager to get to California ahead of
their competitors, that they overworked their animals and got them "foot sore" -
injuries that could be easily cured with time. But there was no time to spare, and so they
traded eagerly for fresh animals. Sometimes they left teams and wagons, hoping to
make better progress with just horses and pack mules. Morris recorded that he traded
a small yoke of three-year-old steers for two large, footsore oxen, a third
older ox, and ten dollars. After three or four days of care, the oxen were as good
as new. With the 10 dollars, he purchased from other camps "things which we
were bad in need of and got a large quantity of stuff for it, among which was a good coat
and pair of boots for myself, some flour, bacon and groceries which started us to living
again quite comfortable." Within a week he traded the rejuvenated three oxen
for two other teams, fifteen dollars, and a wagon which the owner claimed cost 100
dollars. By the end of the summer, Morris recorded: "I will not attempt to give the
details any further but suffice it to say that at the end of the season I had five yoke of
oxen and a splendid wagon and cows. I also had clothing, boots, shoes, breadstuff
and groceries sufficient to make us more comfortable than we had ever been before.
We lacked for nothing that was necessary to make us as comfortable as we could desire
besides having some
luxuries to enjoy. Thus being an eyewitness, I am able to testify of the literal
fulfillment [of the prophecies of Joseph and Heber] ... But I have been eyewitness and a
partaker of the blessings spoken and know that they were true predictions and fulfilled to
the very letter. I further testify that the God of Israel brought this all about and
that His hand was made visible and manifest in a miraculous manner in behalf of his poor
afflicted people who were robbed and persecuted and driven outside of the confines of
civilization by the good Christian people of the United States. We were
willing to come away and sacrifice our homes and put our trust in God and cast our lot
among the savages and live in the wilderness because we were too obliged."
(George Morris Autobiography, typescript, BYU-S, pp. 61-64)

A Life that Counted

The following is a true story of a young woman of
great faith and how her faith

helped prepare the world to received the restored
gospel.

Susannah Annesley, the youngest of twenty-five children, was born
in England in 1669. Her father was a good Christian man and a minister, so the importance
of religion was strongly taught to her in her youth. Beginning as a child, she had a
strong desire to make her life count in the world through her Christian service.

She lived in an age of religious persecution, with many put to death for their
religious views (even her own father had almost lost his life for what he believed). Many
confused the practice of true Christianity with politics.

Susannah loved to read. History in conjunction with religion seemed to be a favorite
topic of hers. These studies caused her to question many of the practices of her time and
she turned to the Bible for truth.

Her deep love for God and the peace she felt from following Him gave her a great desire
to start a spiritual fire that would burn not only in London, but throughout all of
England and then throughout all the earth. She wanted so much to help others to know
Christ rather than just perform the outward appearances of religion. She wanted to help
create a better world. Her father had once told her that England needed someone to light a
candle and hold it high enough for all to see their way out of the present spiritual
darkness. But he said it would be like trying to light a candle and keep it burning in the
midst of a hurricane. To this Susannah replied, "With God all things are
possible."

Each day she prayed, "Dear God, guide me. Help me do Thy will. Make my life
count." But the only answer she got was "WAIT."

While she waited she got married and had children. She gave birth to nineteen children
in all, nine of which lived to adulthood. As the mother of all these children, she decided
to raise them dedicated to the Lord. She felt that her best way of serving God was through
raising these children and educating them. Perhaps some of them would then be instrumental
in helping to change the world.

Susannah's husband, Samuel Wesley, was a minister who believed very strongly in
preaching the truth as best he understood it -- whether it was popular or not. Together
they went through many hard times because truth was not in fashion. But they held to their
beliefs and Susannah worked hard raising her children even under the most difficult of
circumstances.

At least two sons proved Susannah to be correct in her belief that her purpose was to
raise and educate good children for God. John and Charles Wesley became staunch ministers
who wanted very much to revive Christianity.

As time went on, John Wesley and Charles Wesley became leaders in what became The Great
Awakening. John Wesley was the founder of Methodism and Charles Wesley not only preached,
but also wrote many hymns, some of which are still found in our Hymn books today, such as
"Christ the Lord is Risen Today," "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing," and
"Rejoice, the Lord is King."

The Great Awakening was a major event in history (often skipped in school so you may
want to read about it with your children) that had a profound effect on the heritage of
the United States. The preaching of this period emphasized that all men are equal in the
sight of God. This basic principle shaped many of the ideas that went into the Declaration
of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. Both of these documents paved
the way for the religious freedom that made the restoration of the Gospel through Joseph
Smith possible. John and Charles Wesley truly helped put in place the conditions needed
for the gospel to be taught around the world. By teaching her children, and being totally
devoted to God herself, Susannah Wesley did begin a great spiritual fire. Elder George Q.
Cannon said, "John Wesley. . . was raised up and inspired of God to do a work, and he
did it."

John and Charles always gave great praise and credit to their mother for the way she
raised her children. She must have been a great woman and certainly a great mother.

Samuel Wesley, Susannah's husband was certainly correct when he told her, "Some of
the truly great people are the ones who were faithful in doing simple things."
(Susannah Wesley by Charles Ludwig, page 89)

At least three modern prophets, David O. McKay, Harold B. Lee and Ezra Taft Benson,
have honored her and have considered her council so to be wise that they have each
encouraged all of us to follow some of it.

There is much to be learned from this great woman who had a clear vision of the
influence a mother can have for good.

Debra Coe (c) 1994 all rights reserved

"Would
you judge the lawfulness or unlawfulness of pleasure? Take this rule: Now note, whatever
weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of
God, takes off your relish for spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of the
body over the mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may seem in itself.
"

Suzannah
Wesley

(as quoted by
modern prophets)

The Pilgrims and Squanto

A few years ago, at Thanksgiving time and we were teaching our children
about the pilgrims. As part of this, I read them a biography about Squanto's life. I
learned a few things I had never known. When he was about twelve he was taken to England;
it is not sure whether this was by force or if he merely agree to go after having been
enticed. In any case, Squanto stayed in England for nearly ten years. There he was put on
display in a London museum because most people had never seen an Indian before. In general
though, people were good to him and he learned to speak English and learned to enjoy many
of their customs, and food.

Finally he learned that two ships were sailing together to explore the
part of America he was from. Anxious to see his family he sailed on the ship of Captain
John Smith who had started the colony of Virginia. I can only imagine his excitement and
anticipation.

When the ship landed, he set off on foot toward the area of his tribe.
But his dream of seeing his family came to an abrupt halt as he was suddenly taken captive
by Captain Thomas Hunt, the captain of the other ship. He was tied up and put in a dark
room below deck to be taken to Spain and sold as a slave. Over the next several days, many
Indians were kidnapped and put with Squanto. Never again would the tribes of these Indians
trust white man as a seed of hatred was planted by the kidnappings.

In Spain, two monks helped Squanto escape and get on a ship to London
where he hoped to find someone he knew that might be of help him. Once in London, he went
to the house of his friend only to find that the family had moved. Alone, hungry, and
without money he went to another house to beg for food. At this house, the man recognized
him from when he had been on display at the museum. John Slanie took him in as one of his
servants and Squanto stayed with this family for more than three years while he waited and
hoped to find a ship to take him back to America.

Finally he met a man named Mr. Dermer who was sailing to New England to
explore the area. He agreed to take Squanto with him. This time when he returned to his
native land and approached the area where is tribe had been, he found it deserted; the
path overgrown with weeds. I imagine he wondered, "Why me?."

It turned out that only two years earlier, a great sickness had killed
the entire Patuxets tribe. If he had been there instead of taken back to Europe, he too
would have died.

It was only four months later that the pilgrims landed in America and
found a very choice place to begin building their new homes. As it turned out, this choice
place was there for them because it was the same place Squanto's tribe had been. It was
now considered a cursed land because of all the deaths and none of the other Indian tribes
wanted it and did not care to fight them for the land. Because of the way the white men
had treated the Patuxet, for example the kidnappings, these Indians hated the white men
and if this tribe had still been there, they may have killed the Pilgrims.

Instead, only Squanto was left. What a great help and friend he was!
Without him, the Pilgrims may not have survived. He was more than willing to help them and
even lived with them where he was always available to help. He helped them communicate
with the other tribes, which undoubtedly helped to keep peace, taught them to fish, how to
grow food in this new country and taught them to cook the many new and strange foods, etc.

Every time I hear this story, I realize what an incredible blessing and
surprise the Pilgrims must have had to see this Indian come out of what to them was a vast
wilderness and find that he knew and understood both their language and their customs and
that he was so willing to help them to learn to live in a totally different environment.

I can only believe that all this was through the hand of God. I doubt
Squanto had any idea that his whole life was a great preparation for the role he would
play in the beginning of a new nation; a nation where freedom of religion would be
established. It reminds me that many of the experiences of this life may well be for the
benefit of others. I should give thanks for what I have and appreciate opportunities to
grow, learn and help others. After all, while still on this earth, Squanto never knew the
full importance of what he did. This also requires faith that God that is there and
is mindful of us. If we keep his commandments, he will always direct our lives and
help us to bless others. As with the Pilgrims, if we have faith and do what we know
is right, God will provide for our needs.

Debra Coe (c) all rights reserved

Poems:

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Heroes of Faith

by Edgar De Witt Jones

By faith the voyaging Mayflower embarked from
Old England and found harbor off the bleak New England shores.

By faith the Pilgrim Fathers set up a
government on a new continent dedicated to God and inspired by a desire to do his will on
earth as it is done in heaven.

By faith Thomas Jefferson was stirred to
strike a blow for political independence and wrote the thrilling document that declared
that all men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights.

By faith he said, "Love your neighbor as
yourself and your country more than yourself."

By faith George Washington left his spacious
mansion at Mount Vernon and espoused the cause of the tax-burdened colonists.

By faith he forsook ease and comfort, choosing
rather to suffer hardship with his men at Valley Forge than to enjoy the favor of a king.

By faith he became the President of the newly
born republic and endured as seeing Him who is invisible.

By faith Alexander Hamilton established the
financial credit of the nation. In the eloquent words of Daniel Webster: "He touched
the corpse of public credit and it sprang into life. He smote the rock of national
resources and abundant streams of revenue flowed."

By faith James Madison gave richly of his
scholarly mind to form the Federal Constitution.

By faith Andrew Jackson fought the battle of
the impoverished and underprivileged many against the privileged few.

By faith Abraham Lincoln bore the awful burden
of four purgatorial years seeking to preserve the Federal Union.

By faith he carried a dreadful war to its
conclusion without hate in his heart, saying, "I have not only suffered for the
South, I have suffered with the South."

By faith Woodrow Wilson in the dreadful
heartbreak of a world war dreamed a dream of a war less world in which the nations should
be leagued together to keep the peace.

By faith he glimpsed that promised land which,
like Moses, he might not enter.

And what shall I more say? For time would fail
me if I should tell of that unnumbered host, the unnamed and obscure citizens who bore
unimagined burdens, sacrificed in silence and endured nobly, that a government of the
people, for the people, and by the people might not perish from the earth.

The Things That Haven't Been Done Before

By Edgar Guest

The things that haven't been done before,

Those are the things to try;

Columbus dreamed of an unknown shore

At the rim of the far-flung sky,

And his heart was bold and his faith was strong

As he ventured in dangers new,

And he paid no heed to the jeering throng

Or the fears of the doubting crew.

The many will follow the beaten track

With guideposts on the way.

They live and have lived for ages back

With a chart for every day.

Someone has told them it's safe to go

On the road he has traveled o'er,

And all that they ever strive to know

Are the things that were known before.

A few strike out, without map or chart,

Where never a man has been,

From the beaten paths they draw apart

To see what no man has seen.

There are deeds they hunger alone to do;

Though battered and bruised and sore,

They blaze the path for the many, who

Do nothing not done before.

The things that haven't been done before

Are the tasks worthwhile today;

Are you one of the flock that follows, or

Are you one that shall lead the way?

Are you one of the timid souls that quail

At the jeers of a doubting crew,

Or dare you, whether you win or fail,

Strike out for a goal that's new?

Blind

by John Kendrick Bangs

"Show me your God!" the
doubter cries.

I point him to the smiling skies;

I show him all the woodland
greens;

I show him peaceful sylavan
scenes;

I show him winter snows and
frost;

I show him hills rock-ribbed and
strong;

I bid him hear the thrush's song;

I show him flowers in the close--

The lily, violet and rose;

I show him rivers, babbling
streams;

I show him youthful hopes and
dreams;

I show him maids with eager
hearts;

I show him toilers in the marts;

I show him stars, the moon, the
sun;

I show him deeds of kindness
done;

I show him joy; I show him care,

And still he holds his doubting
air,

And faithless goes his way, for
he

Is blind of soul, and cannot see!

Science:

Rolling up Hill: For this experiment you will need:

Two funnels of equal size (you can make two funnels by cutting off the tops of two
liter soda bottles), two yard sticks, three books, tape for funnels.

Tape the two funnels together, with the wide part of each facing each other. Stack two
books on top of each other and place the third book approximately 30 inches away. Place
the yard sticks on the books so as to make a track that is more narrow at the bottom and
wider at the top. Place the funnels on the "track" at the bottom. They should
roll up hill because of the center of gravity. PICTURE

Our Legs and Feet: Our legs and feet are our foundation when we stand. They are the
means by which we walk and run. Their strength is very important. Without strong legs and
feet, we must use crutches to walk with which are more difficult to maneuver and to get
around on.

Faith is like our legs and feet. Faith is the foundation on which we stand in the
gospel. It is our faith that allow us to walk in the ways of Christ and to follow him.
Without our faith we cannot stand by ourselves. The can use "crutches" in the
sense of depending on other's testimonies, but we can never walk as well or get around as
easily on these "crutches" as we can when we are using our own faith.

Several Objects of Fine workmanship: It doesn't matter what object you
use, but it is preferable that the object be factory made, of fine workmanship, and
something that the most people would not have seen made. You can use several objects or
just one object.

Ask several questions such as: Would you believe me if I told you I
found these in these objects in the woods? Why not? Would you believe that these just made
themselves? Why not?

Have you ever seen these being made? Why then would you only believe that they are made
by a factory and not just created or grown in the woods?

The idea is that although we have not seen many objects specifically made ourselves, we
know that such objects were certainly made by someone, because such fine workmanship could
not have simply appeared and been created by accident. The analogy is that our human
bodies are even more incredible and of much finer workmanship than any other object that
we could bring in to display. How then could believe anything other than that there
certainly is a Creator, a God. The world around us is full of of miracles and evidence
that God exists. The fact that we have not seen the factory or seen an object made does
not change the fact that it could not have been created otherwise and we can know with
certainty that the creator does exist.

Sun in the sky vs. Son of God: Brings
light and warmth into the world. Without the warms and heat of of the sun, what
would the world be like? Talk with the children about this. Use the analogy
that our sprits need warmth too. The warmth that comes come knowing God loves us and
knowing that others love us. We see our world by the light of the sun. Faith
in the Son of God brings a spiritual light by which we then "see" and understand
the world around us.

Tire air is what holds it up

Windmill

Activity Ideas:

Speakers on Faith In Yourself: Have a speaker come in and talk about
being successful and emphasize the importance of faith in yourself.

Faithful and Unfaithful Game: In this game the group of youth should
be split into two teams. One called the Faithful and the other called the Unfaithful.
(Half way through the game the teams change roles so both should have equal time being
"Faithful.") The object is to create several relay races in which the
"Faithful" group will have a distinct advantage. All of the games should
incorporate a gospel principle and show that by following the gospel principle life really
is easier and tasks made considerably easier.

Plan about six relay races and after the first three, change which team is faithful and
which is unfaithful.

Part of the fun of this game should be the youth planning their own games and thinking
of how gospel principles can be apply. But here are some suggestions:

Race where each member of a team is given a balloon to blow up. They must get from one
end of the gym to the other by blowing air into the balloon and then letting the balloon
go. They may then go only to the place where the balloon landed and blow it up again
and let go of the end, etc. When the first player reaches the other end of the gym, the
next player in line may start.

Special Difference between the faithful and unfaithful is that the faithful are given
an "Iron Rod" to attach their balloon to. For this team only, provide a straw
with a long piece of string threaded through it. The string should be as tight as possible
as it stretches from the starting line to the finish line. It can be either tied to two
chairs or else two adults can each hold one end of the string. The players from this team
are given tape to attach their balloons to the straw and can keep blowing up their
balloons until they cross the finish line. The object lesson this relay displays is the
idea that holding to the "Iron Rod" gives direction to our efforts and makes it
much easier to achieve our goals as opposed to knowing our end goal, but not being able to
control our energy and direction without the knowledge of the gospel and help of the
"Iron Rod".

Relay 2:

Relay 3:

Relay 4: Mary Fielding Smith crossing the plains. Play this "race" more like
a board game and an entire team moves as one. Each team takes a turn one at a time